Archives for November 7, 2015

'“I know where I truly believe it’s gonna end up, and we’re gonna be that team, and we get to see it. We’re closer to that team that we envisioned from a personnel standpoint than probably we’ve been in a long, long time. We’ve got a good group of guys and some difference makers getting healthy and I think that’s key for us.”'

Click here

'“That’s what weighs in on any player that’s been injured,” he said. “You want to get back out there and help, especially off a loss” to the Jaguars. “Getting on the field is the No. 1 goal. Staying on the field is, also, so I’ve got to really just go out there and manage the game and just really be honest with the coach with how I feel every play and kind of help myself out with coming out a play or two just to ease off on the injury. And I think I’ll be alright.”'

'The fact is, Watkins can make an impact with his mere presence, because that will force the Dolphins to pay greater attention to him than the Bills’ other pass-catchers. And that should help open things up for Charles Clay, Chris Gragg, Robert Woods and Chris Hogan, as well as for LeSean McCoy and Karlos Williams out of the backfield or lined up wide. If Watkins is able to perform at anything close to full capacity, watch out because he figures to be a focal point against an opponent that has no defensive backs who can match up with him physically.'

'I do think Rex’s stubborn ego is a part of it. You can tell in press conferences that he’s uneasy with the notion that his defense should be simplified. He danced around the subject on Wednesday, lumping himself in with some of the top “innovators” in NFL history to make his point.'

'Bills defensive players actually cited their inability to communicate due to the deafening din as a reason for many of their struggles. Maybe that was a legitimate explanation after the first couple of home games, as the Bills' defenders were still finding their way in a new scheme, but it simply doesn't fly after four. This would be a good time for the Bills to demonstrate that they, in fact, have an advantage playing at home … or that they're just not a good team wherever they play.'

'e met him, talked to him, had a conversation with him before he was president in 2008. He looked at us and said, “You guys must be athletes,” and we said, “Yeah, yeah, we play ball a little bit.” So we sit down and listen to his presentation and he answered questions in a Q&A. I wrote up a question for him. I raised my hand. And a lot of people don’t know this, but I have sleep apnea. So I raise my hand, ask my question and I forget what question I asked him. The room was dark—they dimmed the lights—and they put the spotlight on me. So when I asked him the question, I sat down and I fell asleep. I feel asleep while the president was answering my question. Knocked out cold.'

'Bemiller remained in Western New York after his career. He was a substitute teacher and wrestling coach at St. Francis High School. He also worked 25 years as a recreation coordinator at Wyoming Correctional Facility in Attica.'

'"It's awesome, I'm really blessed to be a long snapper and to be here because I've had a nice career to this point," said Sanborn, Buffalo's long snapper since joining the team as an undrafted free agent in May 2009. "I have the best of both worlds; I'm able to go out and play a sport that I love, I can still cover some punts and get in on some tackles and the fun part of the game, but at the same time I'm not taking the pounding that someone like Kyle Williams is taking playing nose tackle every day. I can stay healthier, knock on wood, and get both benefits."'

'Sunday against the Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills wide receiver Sammy Watkins, who isn't catching many passes this season but is catching plenty of flak, will either be cheered or booed by fans at The Ralph following his recent venture down the rabbit hole of boneheaded social media rants, taking on the very fans who feed him.'

'"I'll definitely be out there," Watkins said. "I got all my mental reps in practice and I felt really good. It's about going out and having a game plan and executing the play and just being smart."'

'"I thought EJ did some really good things and quite simply had some things that we would like to clean up or take back or be able to do over," Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "It was pretty simple and we coulda, shoulda, woulda. Overall, I thought he did a pretty good job running the offense and getting the ball to the right guy, but there's some things we need to clean up. Our goal is to win, period. We can talk theory all we want, but a quarterback's job is to win. That's plain for us. His job is to win. There's some things we have to keep grinding through with him."'

'"Just fatigue, tired," Watkins said. "I just kind of told the coaches, 'Hey, my ankle is kind of bothering me. I had a little tweak.' And they said, 'No, don't go out today.'"'

'Aaron will perform “God Bless America” while servicemen and women open an American flag out on the field as part of the Bills’ “Salute the Troops” through November. When that’s all finished, he said, he’ll move right into “The Star-Spangled Banner.” He said he’s excited to be performing back at the Ralph. He opened up a game last fall, as well.'

'To be fair, the Patriots are on another level. So it would've been considered a success if the Dolphins had just kept it close. But the blowout showed us two things: The Dolphins are still very much a mediocre team, talent-wise and rah-rah fiery coach guy isn't the end-all, be-all answer to your football woes. And also, the Patriots are infuriatingly good. Bills fans know that.'